DAKAR, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Guinea-Bissau's Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior has been released by soldiers after briefly detained, media reported on Thursday.

Gomes was held by soldiers on Thursday in another sign of instability in which coup attempts have repeatedly hit the West African country since late 2008. He was detained after a group of soldiers broke into his office in the capital Bissau.

Witnesses also reported soldiers went to a UN office in the city, before leaving with a former navy officer suspected of involvement in an attempted coup in 2008.

The prime minister was nominated in January 2009 by President Joao Bernardo Vieira, who was assassinated on March 2, 2009 by rebellious soldiers at his residence.

The West African country of 1.5 million population foiled a mutiny after holding a legislative election in November 2008, when the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) won the victory.